The Nordic nations are teasing a new initiative of inspecting ships leaving Russia’s St. Petersburg port for insurance and environmental compliance. This may seem insignificant, but it could disrupt shipping on a global scale.
Russia has relied on its shadow fleet (uninsured and aging tankers) to export oil after the sanctions began; this new initiative aims to curb Russian income and disrupt funds for the war in Ukraine. But what happens when one of these countries completes an inspection and decides to confiscate or detain one of these ships? We’re talking about uncharted maritime territory…and it could get messy very quickly as countries start to take maritime security and trade into their own hands.
A return to localized maritime security enforcement and controls won’t look the same everywhere. The Western Hemisphere and the Nordic countries will experience some shortages but be mostly fine. The Mediterranean’s future would rely on cooperation between Italy, France and Turkey. Places that are heavily reliant on energy and food imports (i.e. East Asia) could face economic collapse or famine.
